Tip of the Iceberg
by dropout-ninja
Summary: Some went separate ways. Some stayed together beyond expectations. Some were trapped in situations brought upon themselves. Post Battle in Boston


_Godzilla KOTM and its characters do not belong to me. All rights go to their respective owners._

_Warnings: spoilers. Brief cussing._

_I've only seen KOTM and read some trivia so the 'lore' here might be incredibly off. I was just going by what I saw in that film and read about._

* * *

Before, they had gotten to spend some time together. His daughter would visit and Mark would take her on hikes, swims, movies or wherever else he could think Maddie would enjoy going that was near wherever he was staying at the time. Now they weren't limited to visits and emails. Now, daughter and father lived together without any plans to have to separate shortly.

It was nothing like before. Just as how their entire dynamic had changed irreversibly after Andrew's death, so had it again changed with Emma's.

They were in an urban area instead of the cabins Mark preferred. It was an apartment that was easy to afford temporarily. It had access to many human activities and other people instead of isolation that would let both of them think too much. Mark was overjoyed to live with Maddie again. But there was a void there that made each and every day feel so alien from how life used to be.

"Maddie?" he asked through his daughters cracked doorway. "You ready to go yet sweetie?"

In the small room that was meant as an office but converted into a sleeping area for the teen, a crashing noise was heard followed by some swearing and apologies. No matter how different they were and life was, Maddie was still the same old Maddie. The door shot open and she was standing there brightly in her sloppily changed clothes and bag. She offered her dad a wide grin that didn't meet her eyes completely.

The two journeyed out into the jungle: city life in Trenton. Neither were well equipped for it. Their third wasn't much better. Illene Chen held her expertise in mythologies and the forests she was raised in after all. The trio managed, moving down sidewalks and riding a bus to a nearby theater to catch a showing of a cutesy movie that none were necessarily that interested in but all wanted more than a drama, tragedy, horror story, or monster based adventure. If Illene's hand settled on his during the film, just as it had during the some spectacularly horrific piloting adventure in the fight to save their world, then Maddie didn't seem to say a thing.

It wasn't that he was moving on too fast. Maddie had to realize that; Mark and Emma had not been together for years. Both had dated during that time apart even if those dates had never worked out very long for him. The experiences shared together seemed to have at least given he and Illene a better chance than any of the other dates Mark had gone on. The woman used her free hand to pass the tub of popcorn down and Mark set it by his daughter. As the teen consumed the little snacks methodically, Mark at least felt a sense of content pass over the grief that enveloped all three consistently.

He had offered to bring Maddie but the offer came out rather weak to both their ears once his words were interrupted by his thoughts; Mark wondered if his daughter would ever again want to see the monsters they shared the planet with. For this time, he left her behind to work on some homework. The giant creature grazed; its tusks moved vegetation aside as they swayed over the ground. It was at least miles away but its stature allowed for its entire form to be visible. The camera moved every time the Titan stepped too hard down on the ground but even with that challenge, Mark let himself fall into his hobby. Photographing animals was still as calming and distracting, even if such creatures were almost as large as the monster that had killed his son and saved his planet.

* * *

Maddie knew her dad was still on the fence about Monarch. She herself wasn't sure if she wanted him to join them or tell them to stick it. The feelings the teen had on the organization her mom had both worked for while her dad quit and had betrayed while her dad joined them once more were all too conflicting to find concrete opinions on.

Living with her dad was another confusing matter. She loved him. She loved living with him. But she wasn't used to it. She was used to her mom.

She would never get to live with her mom again.

Her dad was more like her than her mom had been in many ways. They both had similar styles, cooking methods, love of the outdoors, etc. But currently she kept finding things in everyday life that forced her to think about her mom and what they would never experience again. No more reactions from her at burnt meals. No more rubs through her hair. No more watery smiles.

No more telling her to watch her language.

No more disapproving looks at her emails to her dad.

No more enthusiastic thrills over some new Titan.

No more

No more

No

With every empty feeling and engulfing void of loss, Madison Russell buried her head under her pillows and wished for the pain and the numbness to both leave her even as such a wish seemed impossibly naive.

It was over a meal of boxed mac n cheese that Maddie tried to approach her future. Inopportune moments, but the mood strikes when the mood strikes.

Cars drove by the rainy road outside and reminded her that they weren't out at some secluded Monarch base or hidden cabin. She wasn't sure if she wanted to stay in the city or try to live in the places that would spark nostalgia but more loss. In a similar train of thought, Maddie wasn't sure if she wanted to try a school in order to meet new people and spark up a new life in the ashes of the old, or stay with the homeschooling her dad and the internet classes were currently giving her.

It was surreal how scary the idea of not fitting in with other kids was when she was the girl who had lived with terrorists and screamed down what they called King Ghidorah. The fear was laughably stupid and yet still there as she talked to her dad. In a completely embarrassing manner, Maddie found herself breaking down once again. She kept doing this since her mom died; it upset her dad, she could tell (he never said a thing but she could tell)- she had to stop for him. The pressure only made her cry a little bit more.

Dr. Chen opened the door of their little apartment with her key and immediately turned red in embarrassment at having interrupted the breakdown both huddled Russell's were having on the floor by their table of lunch.

* * *

The pests were always swarming. They had already forgotten what he'd done on the island if they would swarm around his nest so fearlessly. He wasn't supposed to eat them. Piercing gaze, vicious gaze- told through roars and stares. No eating. No causing trouble. Rodan listened. But it wasn't out of submission.

None. No submission. No fear of the King.

That was a lie bald enough for any to see through. Fought- Rodan always fought. Never gave in quickly. But never won. Always bowed. Viewed as submissive. Why? Because he bowed? So did they. All did. Someday all did. Between the King and the False King, all kneeled. But immediately. Not him. Made it visible. Stuck out. Took to long to, so when he did all saw.

Mocked.

Why? For fighting?

It didn't matter. They didn't matter. They weren't allies. No. No allies. No more.

Orders, yes. Not to eat the pests. They wandered outside the volcano. Flashed little lights from their clicking devices. He let them. There was no fire left in him anymore. He was content to lay in Fuji docily. Their King would not be pleased if he did anything more. Even with the Moth-Queen rising once again, the King would not soon forget the part he was commanded to play while under the command of the alien Alpha.

* * *

It was another failure. Diane Foster felt that those failures were all too common since the day this had all started. Now, once again, the trace they had on Jonah had fallen short. It had either been a false alarm or the terrorist had covered his tracks and ran too fast to catch up with. Foster was forced to call back her squadron and return empty handed.

She had been hunting Alan Jonah ever since the man, along with Emma Russell, had awoken hell upon their planet. The months had gone on and on without the soldier finding any success in her mission.

When she returned, it was to another night of restless sleep. Too often, Foster dreamed of what could have been. Of how the nightmare could have been prevented. Of how Monster Zero would never have been awakened and caused so much destruction to her world and people. Too often when she was awake, Foster thought of what would have happened with just a bit more foresight and a faster trigger finger.

_She should have taken the shot._

In hindsight, she knew what she saw. Russell pressed the button. To hell with what her ex would say, what everyone would say, that action almost killed the planet and it did kill thousands, millions, regardless; she should have taken the shot when it was clear.

* * *

In the weeks after the showdown at Boston, Rick Stanton was still doing his job. Still cracking comments in moments unasked for. He had a few images that were seared in his mind, but surprisingly few were of the moments monsters had come so close to killing them all on board their ship. Mostly he recognized the emptiness where Serizawa and Graham were missing now. Mainly Serizawa; even if the guy was a nutcase, Stanton remembered when he went into that chamber regardless of fatal radiation. But it was like he told them all then: Rick Stanton still wanted those kids someday.

Today was still not that day.

* * *

He had dealt with DNA from Titans before. He had overseen the creation of weapons from their dead remains. But this was different. This one was still _alive_.

From his position on the catwalk inside the lab built for the (currently cyro-frozen) severed head, he could oversee his scientists at work below. Taking samples. Building weapons. Shaping the future. And the alien DNA from their unwilling specimen was indeed changing the game in every sense of the phrase.

Yes, he had gotten a very good deal listening to the unlikely tale of a ruined fisherman. This experiment was worth everything failed in Dr. Russell's plan.

Unlike many of the other players that contributed to that final showdown between ancient rivals, Alan Jonah was having a very good day.

* * *

Rebirth. Necessary through death. As necessary as death. The egg was peaceful. The world outside the egg was peaceful. Surprisingly peaceful.

Greener. Prettier. Harmonious.

The links, the tomadachi futago, the _Shobijin_, were near. And the King was near. He had won then. She never doubted he would. The invader was gone then. For how long this time- maybe forever she could dream. There had never been peace where the invader was concerned. Her King was violent, strong, but still savvy. And when he began to be carried away, she could calm him; she was Queen and there was good reason for that title.

She had died but that was likely. The egg had been laid before she had flown to her Kings' aid. Now she crawled forward. Over water and greenery. Beautiful.

And he was there- his spines and tail were visible moving in the water of the bay nearby where she had been reborn. The Queen headed his way, leaving particles to float down onto one half of the Shobijin below and the green jungle.

* * *

No matter what wonderful times she would spend with Mark and with her other friends, Illene missed Serizawa. Many nights were spent looking over his notes. It was a connection she was glad he had offered them as he left for his death. But reading over them accentuated the loss; so many times she would turn her head like he would be there and she could ask for a clarification. What she would do for one more hug, for one more tidbit of wisdom, for one more ill placed comment on Godzilla in front of important officials.

She thanked Mark for dinner outside his temporary apartment. Their hands remained together after she gripped it in goodbye. He was stalling; Mark was good at reading animals but Illene was good at reading humans. To her it was obvious how he kept the conversations going. It didn't stop her from departing.

The goodbye was as temporary as the urban complex he was at. But she disliked goodbyes. After Serizawa, Graham, some of her friends who had left Monarch because of the stress over the Battle of Boston- it was hard to tell when one inconspicuous goodbye was actually a final one. It was anxiety like that which made Illene consider seeing a counselor of sorts. She couldn't allow herself to avoid leaving someone behind in worry that they would never return alive. Especially not when her friends, and the Russell's that she found herself so affectionate towards, were a continent away from her sister.

Illene had contacted her twin and found a set of weeks that worked for them to meet up. Now, for the first time since the battle between Gojira and Ghidorah, they would reunite. All six, her twin, her mother and aunt, and her daughters, would be together for however brief amount of time before she returned to Monarch.

Briefly, Illene wondered how Mark and Madison would react to her relatives. Maddie would probably accept the beauty of the singing forests and the life they lived faster than her father would, she decided with a laugh on her way across the sea. Even if he wasn't caught up on her relatives connection to myths, he would be stuck on the fact that she was a single parent like he was; even if her family would never be as his was.

* * *

They whooped and hollered together. All three had arms slung over each other's shoulders as they swayed.

"Now that-now that-" Martinez laughed, "No way. That was the most-the awesome-the most awesomest-the best thing any of us did."

There was an embarrassing amount of buffalo sauce spread over his beard that he probably would care about if he wasn't busy being as drunk as he could be.

"Sure," Griffin slurred, knocking her head against his and ending up letting it rebound into Barnes' head after. "Let yourself be shtabbed in the leg, seehowmuchyou like it. Then-then you can talk 'bout my job."

Barnes slammed his hand down on his legs and let himself laugh as loud as he could. All three shook each other again in camaraderie. Even days, weeks, after the terrifying battles with Kaiju the three were still spending time together. A shared camaraderie as they all shared as much alcohol at the bars they crashed at to laugh and drink away the remaining terrors that haunted them when alone.

* * *

Sam Coleman was spending time on leave. He had no desire to leave his job. Monarch was still his passion and, out of his coworkers, he felt that he had more much needed PR skills. But he had to spend some time recovering. It was a nice house, off a coast in Europe, that he was crashing at. He woke up to the peaceful gray sea and tended to some small, dewy gardens in the mornings before trying to just soak it all in throughout the day.

Too much time alone had one disadvantage. It left him with only his own mind to try and answer the questions that bothered him; why had he believed so much in someone he thought was a loyal friend? Had she ever been? Or had she always been as crazy as to release Titans on the world? All he had done for so long was defend Emma when others were saying she had pressed the trigger, done it all. Then her call came on and there was no more denying. But all those memories of their friendship...how could he have believed so strongly in Emma when now he couldn't make up his mind on his now dead friend ?

* * *

The King of Monsters had only faced a terrifyingly dangerous opponent in one enemy. Others he fought and killed and battled, and all throughout felt the innate thrill of fighting and struggling to come out on top. The usurper that fell from the sky was a different sort of enemy. A different flavor. Unpleasant. Unsavory. There was no scent of game there.

His Queen had been killed over their battles for the title of King. His world damaged. But he had won. Had burned them apart until none was left. All was good.

It was not. Not all were gone. There, on the metal ground amidst debris, was a writhing, partially formed neck, chunks of torso, a hissing head. _Humans_. At times the animals were not worth it.

The Queen flapped hear him but did not interfere. Radiation began to pulse upward as he snarled down at the remnants of his alien rival for the planet. It roared back at him defiantly, horns expressively pinned down in helpless fear it failed to hide. The two contestants for rule over the Earth and its Titans came to a head once more.

* * *

_AN- This is one of those movies I can't believe I enjoyed, especially with some of the plot decisions made (Emma. You are an idiot.), but I did. It's my guilty pleasure I guess XD Dr. Chen became one of my favorites out of the humans (which let's face it are not the reason people watch a monster movie) because of her hair, what interactions she had with Mark and Serizawa, and that moment she calls Emma "that bitch"._

_Please point out any spelling/grammar error so I can fix it :)_

_Thank you for your time! Please leave a review :D_


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